In a variety of well related applications, electric submersible pumping systems often are placed downhole in an oil well or a gas well to perform a variety of functions. These functions may include artificial lift, in which an electric submersible pumping system drives a pump to lift fluids to a surface location. Power for pumping or other work is provided by one or more submersible electric motors. The submersible motor in combination with the submersible pump and other cooperating components is referred to as the electric submersible pumping system.
One issue which sometimes arises when pumping well fluids from a downhole location is an excessive presence of gas in addition to liquids, such as oil and water. The presence of gas can create difficulties for the electric submersible pumping system. Another issue related to the presence of gas is detrimental contact between the gas and a surrounding well casing. If the gas is separated and transmitted uphole, the gas component can damage the casing due to the acidic nature of the gas. If the casing damage becomes sufficiently severe, the integrity of the casing may become compromised and problems, e.g. escaping gas, can result.